Apparatus for manufacture of fibers of inorganic thermoplastic material



Dec.-3, 1957 AKE K. E. SVENDE 2,814,823

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE OF FIBERS OF INORGANIC THERMOPLASTIC MATERIALFiled March 26, 1954 Aid ATTORNEYS ilnited States Patent APPARATUS FORMANUFAGTURE} F FIBERS, OF: INORGANIC THERMOPLASTIQMATER-IAL.

Ake Karl Erik Svende,Billesh olm,v Sweden, assignor toHoganas-Billesholms Aktieb'olag Hoganas, Sweden, 2! Swedish company...

Application March 26, 1954,.Scfiall1o. 418,848 Claims priority,application Sweden March 31, 1953 3 Claims. (Cl. 18-2.6)

This invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacture of inorganicfibers, particularly of glass, slag or other thermoplastic, inorganicmaterial, in which a jet of the melted, fluid material is transformedinto fine threads by the centrifugal eifect of a rotating disk. Inearlier known methods and apparatuses for this manufacture the fibershave been obtained as annular hanks, which have been taken down upon atable where they have been intermittently cut open with knives orscissors and removed. Rotating circular saw blades and knives rotatingvertically or horizontally have sometimes been used for cutting thehanks open, in order to remove the fibers continuously.

This invention relates to an apparatus for collecting and removing thefibers formed.

The method of using the invention, which is based upon the use of arotating centrifugal disk, is mainly characterized in that the fibersthrown out from the disk, immediately after having left the edge of thedisk, are exposed to the action of a first stream of air, directeddownwards at an angle to the vertical, so as to form staple fibers, andpreferably somewhat later are exposed to the action of a second streamof air, directed more horizontally, whereafter the fibers, if desired,are coated with a liquid binder or lubricant. The binder or lubricant tobe added is preferably dispersed in the horizontal stream of air, saidstream of air thus transporting the binder or lubricant to the fibers.

The apparatus consists substantially of a centrifugal disk apparatus,common in this art, and is mainly characterized in a blowing fanimpeller being provided upon the same shaft as the centrifugal disk, andunder said disk, the blowing fan impeller consisting of tWo conicalfunnels partly pushed over each other, fan blades being provided in theinterstice between the two funnels, so as to produce the first stream ofair which is directed downwards at an angle to the vertical. The lowerfunnel is preferably at its lower edge provided with a circular flange,turned outwards and being provided with fan blades underneath, so as toproduce the second, horizontally directed stream of air, which amongother things shall prevent the fibers from sticking to the bottom of themantle surrounding the impeller.

The invention will hereinafter be described more fully with reference tothe attached drawing in which Fig. 1 illustrates an apparatus accordingto the invention in vertical cross section, and Fig. 2 is a top planview of the centrifugal disk apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1.

The drawing shows a melting furnace 2 for the in: organic material fromwhich fibers are to be made. The furnace has a bottom opening 4, throughwhich the melted material passes as a fine jet. Under the bottom openinga centrifugal disk 6 is provided upon a shaft 26. A blowing fan impelleris provided on the shaft 26, under the disk 6, said blowing fan impellerconsisting of two conical funnels 8, 10, the top angles of which aresomewhat different. The upper funnel 8 is partly pushed over the lowerfunnel 10, and in the interstice between "ice 2;: theseafunnels:.which;=overlap-:each:-other :inrpartg: there are provided. faurblades,.-16;a.- The;upperaconical fuinnelii8- has or-tits; purpose .to. directthe stream ofifibers andeto pre vent the fibers from coming incontactazwith itheafair bladesr Thegfunneh 8Lthuwpnotectssthecfanlblades from bQiIlg;WOIIla 011th.v Theafamiimpelleraistsurroundedib as mantle 12;; arrangedi avtfan,housinglandciprovidedxwitlb an;outlety opening; 14iforcthe-fihers randithefiber' transport ng ;Streams;;of lair. The; lowentedgerofetlrelowen-conicala funnel llleis:providedzwitlrraaflange.=22;tnrnedroutwardsit fan blades 24 being provided under said flange so asto produce a horizontal stream of air along the bottom of the mantle 12,for preventing the fibers from coming in contact with and sticking tothe bottom. The tunnel 8 is supported on the funnel 10 by the inwardlyextending projections 9 and the funnel 10 is supported on the shaft 26through the bushing 11.

In manufacturing inorganic fibers it is often desirable to coat thefibers with a thin layer of a binder, lubricant or a similar agent. Foradding such an agent in a liquid state, e. g. melted, dissolved oremulsified, the apparatus illustrated in the drawing is provided withthe following device.

Within the lower conical funnel 10 a flange 18 secured thereto andextending inwardly is arranged so as to form a wedge-shaped channelbetween the flange and the inner wall of the funnel, said wedge-chapedchannel having small interstices or openings in its bottom close to theinner wall of the funnel 10. The outlet opening of a pipe 20 for aliquid binder, lubricant or a similar agent is provided above or in saidchannel. The liquid agent will flow down along the inner wall of theconical funnel 10 to the fan blades 24, and will be thrown out by saidfan blades 24 together with the horizontal stream of air, and willconsequently come into contact with the stream of fibers coming fromabove. A similar feeding device for a lubricating or binding agent mayof course be arranged in the upper conical funnel, the agent beingthrown out by means of the fan blades 16. The apparatus illustrated inthe drawing works in the following manner.

The inorganic thermoplastic material is melted in the furnace 2 andflows as a fine jet through the bottom opening 4 down upon therapid-rotating centrifugal disk 6 where it is transformed into finethreads or fibers, which are thrown out from the disk. After having leftthe edge of the disk, the fibers will soon lose their horizontal speedand will fall downwards, thereby passing the stream of air induced bythe suction action of the fan blades 16, the fibers being thus cooled.The fibers then are directed somewhat outwards by the upper conicalfunnel 8 and are caught by the stream of air, which is induced by thefan blades 16 and which is directed downwards at an angle to thevertical. By this means the fibers never have an opportunity of forminga hank, but are, in the form of staple fibers, directed by the stream ofair past the two conical funnels 8, 10, and are then exposed to thehorizontal stream of air, in which a lubricant or a binder may bedispersed and are at last discharged through the opening 14.

A uniform stream of a staple fiber product having very good qualitiesfor the manufacture of felt and plates is produced in the apparatusaccording to the invention.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus for the manufacture of fibers comprising a circular diskmounted for rotation on a vertical shaft, means for delivering a streamof thermoplastic, inorganic material in liquid state on to said disk,two spaced apart upwardly converging, overlapping, frusto conicalmembers mounted on said shaft below said disk for rotation therewith andfan blades positioned between said mem- References Cited in the file ofthis patent bers and secured to at least one of them.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the lower UNITED STATESPATENTS edge of the lower of said two frusto conical members 384,571 f P14, 1903 extends outwardly as a substantially horizontally dis- 52,136,933 White 1938 posed flange and fan blades are mounted on thelower $255,227 Parsons p 9, 1941 surfagg of said flange et al- Sept. 7,3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 comprising a flange 2,707,847All-like! y 10, 1955 secured to the inner surface of the lower of saidfrusto conical members and forming therewith a channel, open- 10 FOREIGNPATENTS ings between the outer edge of said flange and the inner 143,472Australia Sept. 18, 1951 surface of said member for the passage ofliquid and a 147,892 Australia Aug. 22, 1952 pipe positioned to deliverliquid into said channel. 668,490 Great Britain Mar. 19, 1952

